About those NYPD "get out of jail free" cards

24 January 2018

NormanL

Justice is supposed to be blind, with the laws of the land applying equally, without favor, to all citizens. It's not a difficult concept to understand, and it is a bedrock ideal of the American system. Which made this story out of New York City about "get out of jail free" cards issued to police by their union to hand out to friends and family so very disturbing:

Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association boss Pat Lynch slashed the maximum number of cards that could be issued to current cops from 30 to 20, and to retirees from 20 to 10, sources told The Post.

The cards are often used to wiggle out of minor trouble such as speeding tickets, the theory being that presenting one suggests you know someone in the NYPD.

The rank and file is livid.

“They are treating active members like s–t, and retired members even worse than s–t,” griped an NYPD cop who retired on disability. “All the cops I spoke to were . . . very disappointed they couldn’t hand them out as Christmas gifts.”

A source said Lynch ordered the cutback to stop the sale of the cards, which were being hawked on eBay last week for as much as $200.

Christmas gifts...or quick bucks on eBay. That's not law enforcement, and it's certainly not equal justice. It is corruption, and a particularly insidious, version of it, too. As Cato's Julian Sanchez writes:

Police departments that want to demonstrate they’re serious about the principle of equality under the law shouldn’t be debating how many of these cards an average cop gets to hand out; they should be scrapping them entirely.